Oddawanie czci władcy w Rzymie w okresie cesarstwa na przykładzie manus velatae i silentiarii

Abstract

During the Roman Empire period, the ruler was venerated in many ways. Prostration, proskynesis, referring to the emperor as dominus; adora-tio purpurae; manus velatae; observing the ritual silence; and other rituals were supposed to strengthen the emperor’s authority. During the period of Dominate, the Roman freedom was replaced by etiquette at the imperial court. This article discusses only two examples of veneration of the ruler in the Roman Empire period, namely manus velatae and silentiarii. The manus velatae ritual consisted of giving hands covered with a cloth to the ruler and receiving objects from him in such hands. The gesture had already been encountered in many ancient cultures, such as Persian or Greek. What rarely occurred in Rome, as e.g. confirmed by Titus Livius in his History of Rome regarding the Numa period, became part of the court’s etiquette in Byzantine Rome. When, initially, hygienic and magical factors affected the development of the ritual, during the Dominate it was associated with largitio, namely the giving of gifts by the ruler as well as elements of mystery, submission and sanctification. Silentiaries were initially responsible for maintaining silence. Their social status gradually increased. They kept imperial audiences in order, convened meetings of the imperial council, received dignitaries, and played the role of messengers. Theodosian Code 6,23 and Code of Justinian 12,16 give examples of many imperial constitutions devoted to silentiaries, especially their privileges. Today, some elements of the imperial court etiquette, such as the manus velatae, are found in the Roman Catholic liturgy. In the age of sensitivity to the inherent and inalienable human dignity, also protected by laws, we use non-egalitarian titles, such as eminence, excellency, magnificence, etc., which are accepted as part of the so-called social dignity, but not the onticone.